Arielle
The guitarist and singer-songwriter on choirs, clowning and heartto-hearts with Brian May, ahead of her game-raising new album.
Words: Polly Glass
Arielle: California dreamin’ and taking you back to ’73.
ROB BLACKHAM/PRESS
AS A YOUNG HOPEFUL in Los Angeles, Arielle confronted label execs who wanted to turn her into something she wasn’t. Now an independent artist with a ’73 VW van, a signature instrument by Brian May Guitars and some of the lushest chops in the business, she’s hit a peak with her new album ’73. Songs about love. Songs about remembering to stop and look around once in a while. All of it in a gorgeous palette of guitar tones (from rootsy slide to Zeppelin-esque rock) and clear, emotive vocals that land somewhere between Stevie Nicks and Sheryl Crow. “I feel like I’m learning what life is about,” says Arielle, who threw herself into guitars aged 14, after the death of her father. “I get it wrong a lot.”